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Garden of Lost Socks
Two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Esi Edugyan debuts her picture book, lovingly illustrated by Am�lie Dubois, a whimsical story about friendship, curiosity and the magic of a vibrant community
Akosua was always told she was too nosy.
Her parents loved her very much, but she always seemed to find trouble.
"Trouble isn't what I find!" said Akosua. "I'm an Exquirologist. What I find is lost things."
This big-hearted picture book debut from one of Canada's brightest literary stars follows Akosua, a budding Exquirologist, as she finds both a new friend and a remarkable world hidden right in her very own community. Acclaimed artist Am�lie Dubois adds a layer of magic to Akosua's charming adventure with her delicate, compelling illustrations.
Each turn of the page pulls readers deeper into Akosua's journey, daring them to become Exquirologists too, and encouraging them to seek out magic in the mundane!
Akosua was always told she was too nosy.
Her parents loved her very much, but she always seemed to find trouble.
"Trouble isn't what I find!" said Akosua. "I'm an Exquirologist. What I find is lost things."
This big-hearted picture book debut from one of Canada's brightest literary stars follows Akosua, a budding Exquirologist, as she finds both a new friend and a remarkable world hidden right in her very own community. Acclaimed artist Am�lie Dubois adds a layer of magic to Akosua's charming adventure with her delicate, compelling illustrations.
Each turn of the page pulls readers deeper into Akosua's journey, daring them to become Exquirologists too, and encouraging them to seek out magic in the mundane!
32 pages, ebook
Published August 29, 2023
54 people want to read
About the author
Esi Edugyan
15 books1,605 followersEsi Edugyan has a Masters in Writing from Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best New American Voices 2003, ed. Joyce Carol Oates, and Revival: An Anthology of Black Canadian Writing (2006).
Her debut novel, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne, was published internationally. It was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, was a More Book Lust selection, and was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of 2004's Books to Remember.
Edugyan has held fellowships in the US, Scotland, Iceland, Germany, Hungary, Finland, Spain and Belgium. She has taught creative writing at both Johns Hopkins University and the University of Victoria, and has sat on many international panels, including the LesART Literary Festival in Esslingen, Germany, the Budapest Book Fair in Hungary, and Barnard College in New York City.
She currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
Her debut novel, The Second Life of Samuel Tyne, was published internationally. It was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, was a More Book Lust selection, and was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of 2004's Books to Remember.
Edugyan has held fellowships in the US, Scotland, Iceland, Germany, Hungary, Finland, Spain and Belgium. She has taught creative writing at both Johns Hopkins University and the University of Victoria, and has sat on many international panels, including the LesART Literary Festival in Esslingen, Germany, the Budapest Book Fair in Hungary, and Barnard College in New York City.
She currently lives in Victoria, British Columbia.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 27, 2023
4.5 stars.
Garden of Lost Socks is such a cute picture book debut! The story follows Akosua, an exquirologist (a made up word meaning a person who is an expert at finding things), who makes friends with a boy named Max, a journalist (a real word meaning someone who writes about things that have been found), as they go on an adventure together to find Max's missing sock, one of a pair gifted to him by his nana basia all the way in Ghana. It's a super cute little adventure story about friendship and finding things. The art is cute too. Definitely recommended!
Garden of Lost Socks is such a cute picture book debut! The story follows Akosua, an exquirologist (a made up word meaning a person who is an expert at finding things), who makes friends with a boy named Max, a journalist (a real word meaning someone who writes about things that have been found), as they go on an adventure together to find Max's missing sock, one of a pair gifted to him by his nana basia all the way in Ghana. It's a super cute little adventure story about friendship and finding things. The art is cute too. Definitely recommended!
December 25, 2023
A delightful book with gorgeous illustrations. I love that each child has an expertise (finding lost things, journalism) and the Black characters are portrayed as intelligent and inquisitive. I truly loved this book. Congrats, Esi Edugyan, on your first picture book.
February 26, 2024
A lovely childrens book.
Beautifully illustrated.
Beautifully illustrated.
November 10, 2023
Any day can be an adventure if it’s approached the right way.
Losing a sock is disappointing, but it’s not something I’ve seen mentioned in a picture book before from what I can recall. Seeing how the author expanded this into such a multi-layered topic that touched so many different families made me want to read more from her. It takes talent to write something like that, and I thought Ms. Edugyan did an excellent job of exploring how people think about socks, why some socks are so special to certain folks, and what happens to articles of clothing that suddenly disappear.
I loved the friendship that Akosua developed with another character in this story. They were both curious and imaginative kids who loved to explore every inch of their neighborhood and come up with ideas for what to talk about in the letters he sent home to his nana basia. The fact that they were willing to do everything from crawl on the ground to visit the local laundromat to find out what was happening made me smile. What a good team these two were!
Kindness was woven into every scene of this tale. Akosua and her family had clearly moved into a welcoming area, and I enjoyed seeing how all of the adults quietly kept an eye on the children who roamed around the block in search of adventure. Their gentle care was reflected in how the younger members of this community also treated others compassionately. I can’t go into specific details about how this happened, but I can say that it was heartwarming and provided a beautiful ending to something I was already thrilled to read.
Garden of Lost Socks was a cozy and sweet look at city life. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Losing a sock is disappointing, but it’s not something I’ve seen mentioned in a picture book before from what I can recall. Seeing how the author expanded this into such a multi-layered topic that touched so many different families made me want to read more from her. It takes talent to write something like that, and I thought Ms. Edugyan did an excellent job of exploring how people think about socks, why some socks are so special to certain folks, and what happens to articles of clothing that suddenly disappear.
I loved the friendship that Akosua developed with another character in this story. They were both curious and imaginative kids who loved to explore every inch of their neighborhood and come up with ideas for what to talk about in the letters he sent home to his nana basia. The fact that they were willing to do everything from crawl on the ground to visit the local laundromat to find out what was happening made me smile. What a good team these two were!
Kindness was woven into every scene of this tale. Akosua and her family had clearly moved into a welcoming area, and I enjoyed seeing how all of the adults quietly kept an eye on the children who roamed around the block in search of adventure. Their gentle care was reflected in how the younger members of this community also treated others compassionately. I can’t go into specific details about how this happened, but I can say that it was heartwarming and provided a beautiful ending to something I was already thrilled to read.
Garden of Lost Socks was a cozy and sweet look at city life. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
November 7, 2023
Jolie histoire avec deux personnages principaux racisés sans que le texte n'aborde la question de l'identité; c'est plutôt l'histoire d'une amitié naissante et des aventures des deux enfants dans leur communauté en milieu urbain : buanderie, jardin communautaire, rues et parcs de la ville fournissent le décor à leur enquête amusante qui se conclut sur une jolie scène annonçant, peut-être et je l'espère, des suites pour Akosua et Max.
November 10, 2023
Akosua calls herself an exquirologist - a person who finds lost things. When she meets Max who lost a sock, they go searching for it together. They find socks everywhere, and then something very special. Great illustrations.
October 26, 2023
This was a sweet read and a fun concept. I thought missing socks would have a whole other journey, so this was very imaginative and original!
November 30, 2023
Students learned a new word: equirologist. We now have a class full of equirologists in training!
December 30, 2023
During read aloud my students have really enjoyed this story.
February 4, 2024
Cute story, fun pictures
March 4, 2024
A nice book about two kids - a detective and a journalist - who help each other find and report on lost items and neighborhood news.
April 4, 2024
This was lovely - the new friendship, the caring neighbourhood, and that the kids had such interesting hobbies.
November 28, 2024
3.5 rounded to 4
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews